For surf schools and instructors

How to create a surf lessons waitlist

Bookings come in by DM, by phone, and from the hostel front desk, and none of them talk to each other. You find out the session is overbooked on the sand. The other option is scheduling software at $40 a month that wants your whole week on a grid, when all you need is three sessions with a limit.

The 7:00 AM has six students and four boards. 7 steps, about five minutes, or one click with the recipe below.

Step by step

Set up the Group lessons yourself

These are the exact values the recipe applies. Change any of them to match your line.

  1. Create the waitlist

    Sign in, click New waitlist, and name it "Group lessons". It starts as a draft, so nothing is public until you publish.

  2. Set capacity to 12 per day

    In Settings, set the capacity to 12 per day and the reset to daily at 5:00 AM. The count starts over at every reset; nothing is deleted.

  3. Set the opening hours

    Under Hours, set signups to open Every day, 5:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Outside those hours the form shows a closed screen with the next opening time, in the joiner's time zone.

  4. Add the form fields

    Email is built in. On the Form tab, add Name (required), Phone (required), Experience (required). Labels and help text render as plain text.

  5. Add the "Session" time slots

    On the Form tab, add a Time slot field named "Session" with 7:00 AM (4), 9:30 AM (4), 12:00 PM (4). Each slot fills on its own and reads as full when its spots are taken.

  6. Show the counter

    In Settings, turn on the counter so the form shows how many spots are left. People join faster when they can see the number.

  7. Publish and share

    Click Publish. The Share tab has the hosted link, a QR code, and the script tag or iframe for your site. The submit button reads "Book a board".

Or do it in one click

Use the recipe

The "Group lessons" recipe creates the waitlist with every step above already done. Sign in, click once, and it is live as a draft you can publish.

Create this waitlistSee the recipe page

Recipe

Group lessons

  • 12 per day
  • Every day 5 AM–9 PM
  • 3 capped slots
  • 5 fields
  • 12 students per day, reset at 5:00 AM.
  • Three sessions with four spots each. A full session is greyed out on the form and rejected by the API.
  • Bookings are open every day from 5:00 AM to 9:00 PM.
  • Asks for name, phone, experience, and session.
  • Students see their number for the day on the success screen.

After you publish

How the list runs

Cap the day

Twelve students per day, reset at 5:00 AM before the first session.

Cap each session

Three sessions of four on one form. When the 7:00 AM fills, only the later ones can be picked.

Experience

A multiple-choice field. Pair first-timers with the second instructor from the CSV.

Numbered bookings

"You're #5 today." Students know they have a board before they walk down.

Free a board

A student who cancels from their status link frees the spot in that session.

One link everywhere

The hosted page goes in the bio, on the hostel notice board, and on the QR at the shack.

FAQ

Questions people here ask

Can sessions change with the tide?

Yes. Rename the session options any time. Existing bookings keep the option they chose, so change labels before you share the day.

Can I take payment when they book?

No. Unwaited does not take payments. Most schools take cash or card at the shack, or send a checkout link with the confirmation.

Can I run private lessons on the same form?

Add a session option with a cap of one, or create a second waitlist for privates so the caps stay separate.

Does it send a reminder the morning of?

No. Students get one confirmation email with their number, session, and a status link. Reminders are up to you.

Related

Keep reading

Five minutes by hand, or one click.

Free for 100 signups a month. Unlimited waitlists. Every setting above stays editable.

Create this waitlist